TWO professors of paediatrics at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, are to serve on the International AIDS Society’s (IAS) governing council for the next four years.Professors Russell Pierre and Celia DC Christie-Samuels were expected to take up office Saturday, the last day of the 21st International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2016) in Durban, South Africa.

Pierre is also a consultant paediatrician in the Department of Child and Adolescent Health at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), while Christie-Samuels is a senior consultant paediatrician at the UHWI.

He is also the Director of Jamaica’s Paediatric, Perinatal, Adolescent HIV/AIDS Programme, and Director of the Vaccines Infectious Diseases Centre.

Christie-Samuels, who represented Latin America and the Caribbean as a long-time member of the governing council, will take office as treasurer, while Pierre will join Horacio Salomon of Argentina, as well as Luis Soto-Ramirez of Mexico — both of whom were re-elected — and Mauro Schechter of Brazil as a regional member of the IAS’ governing council, representing Latin America and the Caribbean.

“I feel honoured and humbled to be nominated, voted and elected to be the treasurer of the International AIDS Society, having completed eight years as a member of the IAS’ governing council, representing Latin America and the Caribbean region,” Christie-Samuels told the Jamaica Observer on Thursday.

She said that she was grateful to the Bank of Nova Scotia Jamaica and Scotia Jamaica Life Insurance Company Ltd for the nine years of financial experience gained when she was a member of their board of directors and auditing committees.

“I am pleased also to be involved in the leadership of the IAS at this time, along with Professor Russell Pierre,” she continued. “Both of us are unique in our membership as we are paediatricians — both of us are from the Caribbean and also the UWI.

“Together we have the unique opportunity to advocate for worldwide elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and AIDS and to increase global access to antiretroviral drugs and services to children and adolescents, in addition to other responsibilities,” she said.

The IAS, which was founded in 1988, reportedly has more than 10,000 members from 180 countries and is the largest conference-organising body of health care professionals worldwide.

Pierre told the Observer that the IAS is a prestigious and influential society.
“Hence it is critical that the Caribbean is represented on the governing council to have a voice in shaping policy and the HIV and AIDS agenda going forward,” he said. “There are some unique issues and needs in the Caribbean, in addition to those which are universal.

The professor of paediatrics said more Jamaicans should become members of the IAS and seek to be elected to the governing council.

“Think about how diverse the Caribbean is, there is the mixed group of English-speaking Caribbean countries then French-, Spanish- and Dutch-speaking groups. The more representation we have in the IAS then it increases our chance for the needs and issues to be addressed,” he said.

The IAS last night (Friday) announced the results of the 2016 General Council Election and introduced the new governing council members at its IAS member’s meeting and reception at the Durban International Convention Centre.

IAS President Chris Beyrer said the most recent elections had the society’s largest participation in years.

A total of 1,675 votes were received, which saw 22.1 per cent of all members eligible to vote participating in the elections. The governing council includes members from the United States and Canada, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific Islands, Europe, as well as the president, president-elect, treasurer, immediate past president, and executive director.

IAS members work on all fronts of the global response to AIDS and include researchers, clinicians, policy and programme planners, public health and community practitioners.

Professor Pierre also weighed in on the minimal number of representatives from the Caribbean at AIDS 2016.

He told the Observer that he believes it is due to a lack of awareness about the organisation and its role; the need to raise the profile; and issues of financing.
In relation to the lack of awareness, Pierre said he plans to improve the dissemination of information via the various interest groups in the Caribbean. He also said a lot of great work was being done in the Caribbean by various interest groups, but it is not being disseminated.

The conference, he added, provided various fora for the kind of exposure that would raise the profile of the region.

Pierre admitted that the conference is expensive but said there are opportunities to participate, despite the cost.

“There are means to still participate under a reduced cost through the volunteer programme and applying for scholarships. It also takes planning, strategically, to be present every two years,” he continued. “We can provide appropriate advice in this regard.”

Both Pierre and Christie-Samuels are committed to representing the Caribbean on the governing council to ensure that the region’s needs are addressed.